After a few episodes that felt off, The Murder of One shines as an example of all that makes The Vampire Diaries the show we love so very much — high stakes, excellent twists, complicated conversations, siblings bickering, a little shirtless torture, and a reminder that good whittling is hard to find. Welcome back, TVD.

Everyone has a dark side — and in Mystic Falls, the dark sides are really dark. After the big reveal of the council member murderer last episode, Break On Through explores the options available to a secret psycho. So put away your knitting needles, and break off the neck of a bottle of wine . . .

The Vampire Diaries has returned with a sepia trip back through time. It’s actually a double dose of nostalgia: for the brothers Salvatore, a reminiscence of Mystic Falls in 1912, and for us viewers at home, many call backs to past episodes — crow in a cemetery and all.

Ditching the glitz of the previous episode, All My Children takes the weekly battle for survival underground as our Mystic Falls residents pick sides on Esther’s plot — righting the wrongs of a thousand years and restoring peace, or an immoral atrocity that would remove five of the most entertaining characters from our show in one fell swoop?

For me, an episode is difficult to write about for one of two reasons: either it ain’t my cup of tea (a rarity with this show), or it’s so good and complicated and layered that I worry about adequately covering all the reasons why it was so bloody awesome. Dangerous Liaisons falls into category 2. Centuries of backstory feed into the events at the Mikaelson ball, as well as two-and-a-half seasons of The Vampire Diaries’ carefully orchestrated relationships. So a small gesture — like Elena taking the arm of both her suitors — is for us dedicated viewers an iconic moment. And this was an episode full of these intense, capslock-inducing moments done so well and fraught with so much feeling.

Though we’ve known since the beginning of this series that family is important in Mystic Falls, Bringing Out the Dead was an ode to family — in all its messed-up glory. For better or worse, these bonds tie together these characters, across the centuries, but the “family above all” credo raises the question: do you punish sins/crimes perpetrated by family against family or forgive the unforgivable? Whatever the final decision is, in the meantime, at least have a vampire-speed fist fight. Or two.

Family takes all forms in Mystic Falls, and though the ties that bind these characters to each other are often touted as the most valuable and important force, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t fraught with all kinds of bad ju-ju. In The Ties That Bind, the relationships between family, friends, and romantic interests are tested, tried, and tentatively repaired.

Not to have an over-the-top love fest or anything, but do you guys ever feel extremely lucky that this show exists? No seriously, this show effortlessly moves from delightfully gruesome decapitations to heartfelt friendship moments to tortured impossible romances and it looks so good doing it all. The Vampire Diaries rewards its loyal viewers with resonant moments that reach back to the first season or to the book series (or both! hello Wickery Bridge), but it never fails to surprise us. And its daring choices are not cheap, shock-value twists but bold storytelling that, in my opinion, dovetails with who we know these characters to be, their past choices and circumstances, and the established mythology of the series. And this episode was just the perfect illustration of the awesomeness of this show, instantly jumping into my favorites this season. Okay. Love fest over (for now); onto Our Town’s birthday edition of Be a Better Villain…

The hiatus is over, our show is back, and life in Mystic Falls is as high stakes as ever. The New Deal certainly felt like the kickoff to the second half of Season 3, but the question is, if 2012 is the year of Klausageddon, will it be deadly for the Original Hybrid himself or for…everyone else under the sun?

Ba-boom! The first part of Season 3 has come to a close, my friends, and it wouldn’t be The Vampire Diaries if it didn’t leave us hanging with a million questions, theories, and relationship statuses to debate.

A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls is an anthology of essays that brings together today’s best YA writers of the supernatural to talk about the Vampire Diaries' first season, from the characters to the storyline, the magic and the town. Edited by Red & Vee. Due October 19th.

Go deep into the heart of Mystic Falls with this episode-by-episode look at the first season of The Vampire Diaries. Love You to Death: The Unofficial Companion to The Vampire Diaries is the essential guide to the show.

Stefan’s Diaries tells the story, as depicted on The Vampire Diaries television show, of the love triangle that would change the Salvatore brothers’ lives forever. This trilogy offers new insight into the wildly popular TV series and the epic love story that turned devoted brothers into mortal enemies. The first book, Origins, is due for publication on November 2nd, 2010. Find out more...

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